Man deemed abducted in white van returns from abroad

Yasaratne GAMAGE

A man reportedly abducted in a white van in Kalmunai returned to the island by plane from Dubai, Police Media Spokesman SP Ajith Rohana said.

Airport security officials arrested Sinnathambi Padmanathan for his suspicious behaviour and handed the suspect to the TID. The suspect who was interrogated, revealed he was involved in terrorist activities and he was the same person reported to have been kidnapped in the North a year ago.

It was also revealed he left Sri Lanka on July 29, 2007, three years before he was reported missing.

The government and the Army were accused of abducting Sinnathambi Padmanathan on several websites and a complaint was lodged at the Kalmunai Police by a woman named Sinnathambi Amarawathi on December 11, 2011 stating Sinnathambi Padmanathan never returned

home after leaving for work. Following the incident, a website published Padmanathan had been abducted by the Police or the Army.

"The buzzword ' abducted by unidentified men in a white van' uttered and given publicity by many conspiring against the government and its Forces has been proved to be a total myth with this arrest along with other findings," SP Rohana said in a press release.

The release said the Police and the military were accused baselessly of being responsible for several incidents in the North during the past which later proved to be baseless.

Investigations also revealed Padmanathan was directly involved in LTTE attacks targetting Pooneryn, Kattamuruppu and Karawei Army Camps.

He was also involved in attacks on the Kalkuda Police Station in 1995 and the STF camp in Pudukudirippu in 1995.

Padmanathan is also accused of shooting on two occasions at a group of soldiers on foot patrol in Eravur the same year.

Investigations revealed he also had training to assassinate MP Neelan Thiruchelvam. He had been under military arrest after an unsuccessful attempt to blast a water tank in Badulla where he was injured. The Police have filed seven cases in Batticaloa high court against the suspect. The release highlighted some incidents where the finger was pointed at government Forces, but later proved to be baseless allegations.

One incident was where P Razik of Puttalam was kidnapped and murdered by two suspects. Before the suspects were arrested, it was speculated he had been kidnapped by government Forces. In another incident, the wife of S Sathyaraj of Rajagiriya lodged a complaint her husband had been abducted by the Police. It was later found the man living with another woman in Jaffna.

Investigations revealed he had misled his wife pretending he was kidnapped by the Police so that he could live with his mistress.

Another complaint was lodged that A Krisho, 22, was abducted in a white van in March 2012. Police later found he had been kidnapped for a ransom. Police arrested the suspect and rescued the youth.

In April this year, S Sivalingam of Velvetithurai was reported missing and a complaint was lodged by his mother. The Army and the government was accused for his disappearance. Later, Police found his body. The postmortem revealed he had committed suicide.